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Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn about middle school
language arts teachers’ beliefs about themselves as reading teachers to students who
struggle with reading. National reading data find staggeringly high numbers of older
students without the necessary reading skills to participate in the general education
curriculum. Research suggests that some students have late developing, unidentified
reading difficulties that leave students unable to participate fully in the curriculum. To
address the problem of struggling readers beyond elementary grades, content area
teachers are often asked to provide reading instruction. With few exceptions, however,
content area teacher have not ameliorated the problem for all students. A review of the
literature suggests that beliefs take center stage in how teachers define themselves, whom
they are willing to teach, and the instructional practices they use. For this study, a group
of middle school language arts teachers were asked to discuss their roles, students, and
beliefs about reading instruction. Initial findings suggested that few teachers’ believed it
was their role to provide reading instruction to struggling readers. Many were bound to
content instruction, expected middle school students to be able to read, and did not
provide reading interventions. They believed in the power of their ability to motivate
students to be successful; however good relationships balanced with knowledgeable
reading instruction was not evident. Teachers with elementary or special education
preservice training and experiences in teaching reading were frustrated and had trouble
generalizing their knowledge into a middle school context. Over the course of the study,
the discourse the teachers used changed in regard to providing reading instruction and
their need for knowledge about reading instruction. Limitations of the study include a
small group, uneven participation, and capturing the fluidity of beliefs. Implications for
future research including: the impact of current policy on content area teachers; the
expansion of understanding reading and literacy instruction for secondary students; and
research on the changing roles of special education teachers. Implications for practice
include meeting teachers where they are in their professional development needs and
teacher generated professional development that respects teachers as learners.